Research has yet to prove benefits of antioxidant-rich berry juices

Peggy Turbett, The Plain DealerJuices and supplements made from "superfruits" such as acai, mangosteen, goji, maqui and pomegranate, are vying for space on shelves at grocery stores and specialty food stores, claiming health benefits from their high antioxidant content.

What to look for if you buy 'superfruit' juices

If you decide to buy some of the more expensive "superfruit" juices, here are a few tips from dietitian Lisa Cimperman of University Hospitals Case Medical Center; food engineer Monica Giusti of Ohio State University's Department of Food Science and Technology; and Dr. Tanya Edwards, medical director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic:

Get familiar with ORAC

The acronym, which stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, is considered the standard test of antioxidant activity among the superfruits, says Giusti. Most labels will have some measure of the juice's ORAC content, and most juices with anything to brag about will compare their ORAC content to the other main market contenders.

Edwards tells her patients to buy a juice that has the highest ORAC content they can get for their money.

But, warns Giusti, a superhigh ORAC value, which is measured in a test tube, doesn't automatically mean the juice will perform as well in the body. In her research, she looks at the amount of anthocyanins or other phytochemicals in the product, not the ORAC value. She says that some manufacturers have started putting this information on labels as well.

To see a list of the ORAC content of 227 foods compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, go to tiny.cc/byXyW.

How bright is that red?

Giusti's research on anthocyanins and other phytochemicals also involves the best way to process and store these compounds. She says one of the good things about the dark-colored juices is that you can immediately tell when their active components -- the anthocyanins usually -- have gone bad. If you see a pomegranate or acai juice that's turned from a bright red to a dull brown, for example, pass it up.

"There is no danger from it, but maybe there is not as much benefit because the concentration of the phytonutrients is going to be lower," she says.

Buyer beware

Beyond all the unscrupulous acai sales scams on the Internet that have turned up during the past year, there are other reasons to be cautious when investing money in superfruits.

Cimperman is always a little wary of the unregulated supplement industry, and many of the superfruits are marketed as supplements, in juice or pill form.

The most exotic juice offering at the grocery store used to be found in the curvy little POM Wonderful bottle.

Now "superberry" drinks of all shapes and sizes are crowding the coolers, most made from berries we've never seen before, and some we can't pronounce: acai (it's ah-sigh-ee), goji, mangosteen, maqui. They make the domestic pomegranate seem downright plain.

Manufacturers of these juices, including pomegranate, claim that the fruits' superhigh antioxidant content means they are super good for you -- much better than your average apple or orange, for example.

But the research to back up these claims is running far behind the marketing blitz -- there isn't yet any large-scale clinical research showing the benefit of consuming them in terms of disease treatment or prevention.

The terms "superfruit" and "superfood" really are marketing inventions, tags for foods whose nutrients have been scientifically tested in some way and may have a health benefit, says food engineer Monica Giusti of Ohio State University's Department of Food Science and Technology.

About 20 years ago, Giusti started studying anthocyanins, the naturally occurring fruit chemicals that give blueberries and other berries their dark color.

The scientific evidence for health benefits from regular consumption of particular fruits, and from the use of fruit extracts, is promising, but for now that evidencecomes from test-tube and animal models rather than more relevant human clinical trials, she says.

Giusti and her colleagues have found that applying anthocyanin extracts from a variety of plants to human colon cancer cells in test tubes can significantly slow down or even completely stop the cells' growth. Researchers think they will find the same cancer-quashing results from other foods that contain anthocyanins.

And similar evidence is mounting for the potential health benefits from anthocyanins in dark-colored fruits like blueberries and pomegranates, fruits inwhichgrowers and manufacturers have invested a lot of research money.

Preliminary research from test-tube, animal and some human studies suggests that pomegranate juice may be good for cardiovascular health. In a study conducted by Dean Ornish at the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, Calif., 23 men who drank a daily cup of pomegranate juice had improved blood flow through their arteries compared with men who drank a flavored placebo.

In a recent study at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center, researchers fed lab mice the equivalent of a human dose of 1 cup of blueberries a day and found that the mice performed better than their control-group counterparts in tests of motor skills, learning and memory. They also found indications that the blueberry-fed mice's brains were aging better.

Benefits of antioxidantsare nothing new

While these findings may seem somewhat miraculous, they are probably not unique to blueberries and pomegranates. All fruits and vegetables have antioxidants, substances like anthocyanins or the beta carotene in carrots that make them orange. Antioxidants can prevent or slow the damage to cells caused by free radicals, the byproducts made when cells use oxygen.

In general, darker fruits and vegetables, such as kale and Concord grapes, have higher contents of these naturally occurring chemicals, called phytochemicals, that give them color. More phytochemicals usually means a higher antioxidant content.

The high-antioxidant fruit juices and supplements currently flooding the market come mostly from dark fruits that do not grow domestically. Acai, a blue grapelike fruit, grows in the Amazon. Goji (or wolfberry) is native to Asia and is cranberry red. Mangosteen has a dark red outer rind and a white pulpy inside and grows in Indonesia. Deep purple maqui berries grow on evergreen shrubs in the Patagonia region of South America.

Part of the fruits' allure is this exoticism and the folklore it carries with it. Novelle International, makers of Maqui Superberry, says that the fruit "is revered as a symbol of health, strength and [is] believed to have profound mystical healing powers by the Mapuche Indians." Acai peddlers tell customers that it has been used by indigenous people to boost stamina and immune function and to treat digestive ailments and even tumors.

This background helps to build the main draw of the superfruit -- the possibility of a magic-bullet cure, says dietitian Lisa Cimperman of University Hospitals Case Medical Center.

"We're always looking for a pill to take," she says. And while there is a basis for some of the health claims -- no one would say that eating more fruits is unhealthy -- there isn't any one fruit or food that can make or break your diet, she says.

"When you talk about disease prevention and overall health, there is no superfood. There may be a superdiet," she says.

Patients lookingfor new avenues

Getting in your fruits and veggies

Dr. Tanya Edwards, medical director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, has an easy way to increase your daily intake of fruits and vegetables and the healthy antioxidants they contain. She drinks one serving of this smoothie with a meal or downs the whole thing as a meal replacement. Don't be put off by the kale and spinach; the fruits and berries make it a sweet treat.

Cook's notes: If you use frozen berries, you may need less ice. Do not use a juicer; the fruits lose a lot of the healthy benefits of the fiber and plant chemicals in the skins.

Preparation: Blend ingredients together in a blender or smoothie maker.

Dr. Tanya Edwards, medical director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, says she receives inquiries about the juices from some of her patients who have "serious disease going on and are looking at what they can possibly do" to help themselves.

She sees no harm in adding the juices to a healthy diet and gives patients a list of their antioxidant contents so they can make better shopping decisions.

"Everything that I have seen shows that it's encouraging. It's really plausible that there may be a study that drinking mass quantities of these juices may treat cancer one day, but who knows?"

Edwards is careful to emphasize the current lack of clinical research, though.

"I don't have any data to back me up to say that you need to go out and buy this exotic juice at $25 a bottle," she says. "If you've got some extra money to throw away, then it's probably not going to be bad for you and it may even be very good for you."

"As a dietitian, I would never spend the money to buy that stuff, and I would never recommend anyone else to," she says.

Just eat more fruits and vegetables -- eight or nine servings a day, in a wide variety of colors -- and you'll likely get all the antioxidants you need.

In the lab at Ohio State, Giusti says that we need a lot more research before we start routinely plunking down so much money for exotic juices.

In the meantime, she says, it's still a good idea to try to get more antioxidants into your diet, but there are plenty of easily accessible domestic fruits and vegetables that fit the bill. Some of the best are blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, beans, artichokes, kale, spinach and, of course, the pomegranate.

Putting products to the taste test

Exotic fruits can make for some exotic flavors, so to prepare your palate for the "superfruit" onslaught, several intrepid Plain Dealer staffers sampled some juices and offered their first impressions on color, bouquet and taste.

Our take: We were split on this one. We all agreed that POM's color and bouquet are pleasant and appealing, but Scott and Timmons weren't fans of the tart taste, which Scott said reminded him of cough syrup. As someone who likes a good pomegranate, Zeltner found it refreshing.

Acai Immune Booster (AgroLabs) juice supplement

Cost: $21.99 for 33 fluid ounces.

Where to find it: Costco and online at www.vitafac.com.

Our take: The consensus here was that drinking an ounce of this every morning, as the label suggests, would be a chore. The juice is thick and brownish in color. Scott thought it tasted like "a bad chocolate-covered raspberry," which is interesting because some people say acai has a chocolate aftertaste. We recommend chocolate instead.

Maqui Superberry (Novelle International) juice supplement

Cost: $39.95 for 16 fluid ounces.

Where to find it: The Vitamin Shoppe; Mustard Seed Market.

Our take: "Wow." That's what everyone said on taking a small swig of this jewel-purple liquid. Everyone agreed it smells like raisins. Beyond that, the taste is a bit indescribable -- a combination of an initial sweet grapiness combined with a sucker-punch burn that goes right up your nose like wasabi. No wonder the makers say you can dilute it in water or yogurt.

XanGo mangosteen juice supplement

Cost: $37.50 for 25.35 fluid ounces.

Where to find it: Order online at shop.xango.com.

Our take: XanGo's mangosteen juice was by far our favorite of the bunch, based on its bright-red color and surprisingly good taste. Zeltner had heard nasty things about the mangosteen's flavor, but the tropical slushy flavor of XanGo's juice left everyone wanting more.

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